Nature of a Hero
by KingofFoxes
Summary: It's been three long years since Naruto and Jiraiya left to train. Now they're finally ready to face Orochimaru and Akatsuki. How long will Konoha stay peaceful? NaruSaku.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Well, here we are again. Another fanfiction by me, KingofFoxes. My previous attempt at a serious fanfiction was a total flop, as I only got one review, and it was from my mother... anyway... I have decided, after much thought and planning, to try my hand at a Naruto fic. Never done it before. Well, here it is. Hope you like it and please... for the sake of my sanity... be kind.

Naruto: I like ramen, I like ramen, it makes me a happy Naru. Happy, happy, happy, happy, la, la, la, la, la.

Sakura: Cram a sock in it shit-for-brains!

Sasuke: Feh.

Naruto: What if I don't want to?

Sakura: ...Who said you had a choice:winds up arm:

Naruto:o.O: RUN!

Sasuke: Loser.

Nature of a Hero 

**Chapter #1: A Triumphant Return?**

To say that it was a pleasant day would be a lie at best. Rain ran down from the heavens in sheets, before the warm summer air evaporated it, covering all of Konoha in a thick white fog. Konohamaru sat at a tall window in the Hokage Tower, watching the rain with his head in his hands. It had been three years since his hero Naruto had left the Village Hidden in the Leaves, with Jiraiya the Toad Sannin to train for the upcoming battle with Itachi and Akatsuki. True, Konohamaru wasn't technically allowed to know any of this, but being the "Honourable Grandson" of the Sandaime Hokage did have its perks. As he sat overlooking the populace, a bright colour caught his eye. A blonde, shaggy mop of hair was moving quickly through the throngs of civilians and shinobi, accompanied by a longer, shaggier mop of pure white hair. Konohamaru's eyes widened substantially and his face broke into a wide grin before he sprinted away from the window and down the hall.

"They're back! They're back!" He yelled as he sprinted through the Hokage tower, advertising to all in the building that something important had happened. Tsunade's head poked through the doorway of the Hokage's office, wondering if the sky had started falling.

"Who's back?" She yelled at the retreating figure steadily disappearing down the long corridor.

"Naruto and Ji-" He was shocked into silence as a pale blonde blur streaked past him in the direction of the stairs, leaving a trail of fire in it's wake.

"HEY!" The Genin yelled as he stepped up his efforts and ran as he had never run before toward the stairs.

- - - - - - - -

"It's definitely good to be home." Came the voice of a certain trouble-making blonde Chuunin, as he and his sensei, Jiraiya meandered through the streets of Konoha. They had finally returned from three years of gruelling training, getting them in the kind of shape they'd need to be in to defeat Akatsuki. "Nothing's changed."

"I have to say," Jiraiya stated, "Even after having been a hermit for so many years, it's nice to have a constant like Konoha in your life." He looked around at the village fondly, the place held so many memories for them both, though he had to admit, most of his were better than Naruto's. However… if the approaching chakra signature was who he suspected it was, one of Naruto's fonder memories might make a surprise appearance.

Sure enough…

"Hi Boss!" Came the voice of Konohamaru as he streaked through midair towards Naruto, who half turned, a surprised look on his face.

"AHH!" Naruto yelled as the green and yellow juggernaut connected with his torso, sending him sprawling. "Konohamaru! Get off me you brat!" The two wrestled for a while in the middle of the muddy street, before Naruto finally succeeded in detaching the Genin's death grip on his waist.

"It's good to see you again Boss. We were all beginning to think that you weren't coming back." Konohamaru said, smiling through the mud smeared on his features.

"Of course I was coming back!" Naruto said. "I promised that I would return to this village in three years, and I never break a promise! That's my way of the Ninja!"

"It's good to see you again, brat." Came a familiar female voice from behind him. Tsunade was standing there next to Jiraiya, a wide smile on the faces of both Sannin.

"Tsunade baa-chan! How's it going old hag?" Naruto said with his regular fox-like grin adorning his face. A vein in Tsunade's temple began to pulse. The brat had been back all of ten minutes and he was already getting on her nerves.

"BRAT!" She yelled thwacking him over the head and throwing him down the street in the direction he had come from. "Don't call me an old hag!" She was laughing though. Laughing in relief that both her former team mate and his young charge had returned safely after all that training. As she looked at him prying himself out of the mud he had landed in, she began to notice the changes he had gone through over the years. He was taller now, and his hair was slightly longer, though it hadn't lost its shagginess. His eyes were the same as she remembered them, still that deep innocent blue. She sensed something deeper in them though, something… older. He had, thankfully, ditched the gaudy orange jumpsuits that he had always worn, and had instead, switched to a simple black t-shirt and cargo pants, which were tucked into the tops of his shinobi sandals.

"Yo." Came a familiar, lazy voice from behind her. "I thought I heard commotion in the streets. I guess it makes sense that Naruto and Jiraiya would be behind it."

"Kakashi-sensei!" Came Naruto's voice from nearby, as the blonde ninja rushed back down the street to greet his sensei.

"Hey, Naruto." The Copy-nin said through his mask. "How was your trip?"

"It was great Kakashi-sensei! Ero-sennin taught me lots of new techniques, and I went to all the Hidden Villages and I'm finally ready to go after Orochimaru and get Sasuke back!" Naruto somehow managed to continue his narrative, even after Jiraiya had brought his fist down on the Chuunin's head, muttering something about 'disrespectful brats'.

"Sounds like you had a good time, Naruto. I'm things have been pretty dull around here since you left. We haven't seen hide or hair of either Akatsuki or Orochimaru, though we're keeping our ears tuned for information regarding their whereabouts." Kakashi smiled. "You should catch up with your old friends Naruto. I'm sure they'll want to tell you about the Jounin exam."

"What?" Yelled Naruto. "All my friends have taken the Jounin exam, but I'm still a Chuunin? This is so not cool!" He whined as he looked at the ground. He had expected that some of his friends, like Shikamaru and Neji would surpass him in rank… but he hadn't thought that **all** of them would.

"That's what happens when you leave for three years Naruto." Said Tsunade, "Things change. Don't worry though. Your friends definitely haven't forgotten you. Go say hi." She looked at her watch.

"It's seven now. They should be at the Ichiraku by now. They started going there for gatherings every week, so they wouldn't grow apart. They meet Mondays, so you're in luck. Now get going." Tsunade smiled at him as he rushed off down the street.

"Bye baa-chan!" He called over his shoulder, before blazing a trail down the road and towards the Ichiraku Ramen stand.

"BRAT!" Came the Hokage's indignant scream as he turned the corner onto the main street of Konoha.

- - - - - - - -

Sakura sighed into her ramen. The rest of the Rookie 9 were sitting in the small shack, sharing stories about their latest missions, love lives, which in some cases, were intertwined, and otherwise enjoying themselves. She knew she should be enjoying herself as well, but somehow, her heart just wasn't in it today. It had been over three years since she had seen Naruto, and more than that for Sasuke in fact… she sighed again. It had been almost four years since Sasuke had defected to Orochimaru and the Hidden Sound Village.

"Sasuke-kun…" She whispered, looking down into her bowl of noodles, which was steadily growing cold. It had been hard for her; the fact that she had been forced to take both the Chuunin and Jounin exams on her own, and her training with Tsunade had worn her out, but she had managed to do well enough to insure her promotion.

"Are you going to eat that?" Came a gentle voice from beside her. "Because if you're not…" She turned her head to the side and her emerald green eyes met a pair of sapphire ones. "I haven't had any for a long time."

"Naruto?" She asked, not daring to let herself believe that her friend could really be sitting there beside her.

"Long time no see, Sakura-chan." Naruto said as he flashed her a fox-like grin.

"NARUTO!" She cried and threw herself at him, wrapping her arms around his torso and burying her face in his chest.

"Whoa!" With a yell, Naruto found himself on his back, on the floor, with a sobbing girl on top of him. At the sound of the commotion, everyone else looked at the over and saw Sakura on top of a blonde haired, blue eyed, whisker marked ninja with the headband of the Hidden Leaf.

"Naruto!" Came the general response, as the group of Jounin rose to greet their friend. Even Neji and Shikamaru, the 'superior' one and the lazy one seemed happy to see the 'number one hyperactive knucklehead ninja' back in Konoha.

"When did you get back?" asked Sakura through her tears.

"Ero-sennin and I got back about twenty minutes ago. Tsunade baa-chan told me where to find you guys." The Jinchuuriki replied, content to lie on the ground with Sakura on top of him for as long as possible. Sakura, realizing this, quickly stood up and brushed herself off.

"It's really good to see you again Naruto." Came Ino's voice from beside Shikamaru she had one arm around his waist, and her head resting on his shoulder. Naruto looked around at the group in confusion. Aside from Ino and Shikamaru, it seemed that loudmouthed Kiba, and shy little Hinata, had also become an item, though her face was red with embarrassment from watching the tender moment between Naruto and Sakura. Heh… some things never change.

A/N: There you go. First chapter down, undefined number to go. Please R&R. Later.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: I'm so sorry! I thought that if I left it alone for a while, I'd get my creativity back, but I didn't mean to abandon it for so long! Please, forgive me, loyal reviewers:is sobbing and begging: I'll never do it again… :shifty eyes: maybe.

Naruto:is running through the street: OUTTA MY WAY!

Sakura:is chasing him with a pan: You little shit! I'll kill you!

Sasuke:mutters under breath: I'm surrounded by idiots.

Nature of a Hero Chapter #2: House Guest 

It was a glorious event. The Rookie Nine were finally reunited after three long years. What had begun as a get-together between friends had turned into a full-fledged party in commemoration of the blonde's return. Iruka, who was intending to eat dinner at the Ichiraku, wandered in on the returning hero by mistake, and was joy-stricken to see his young charge back in Konoha.

"Naruto!" He yelled, and ran over to his former student, embracing him fondly. Naruto realized that either the older man had shrunk or he himself had grown, because he was now at eye level with his brown-haired sensei.

"Hi Iruka-sensei! How's teaching at the academy been going?" He asked, one of his trademark foxy grins adorning his face.

"My, you've grown Naruto! You're almost taller than I am now!" Iruka said, gripping the young man tightly. "Teaching has been going pretty well, though it's a lot less lively in the classroom now without you getting up to all kinds of mischief." He fondly ruffled Naruto's shaggy blonde hair, before turning away and ordering some ramen from the old man at the counter. The old man shook his head. When he's bringing in this kind of business, there's no wonder that the Kyuubi-vessel was his favourite customer.

The party lasted well into the night, and probably would have continued on into the day, if the shop hadn't suddenly run out of ramen and the old man and his daughter had forced the partygoers out into the street. Not that something like that could stop the celebrations, oh no. The small group simply migrated to the next ramen bar… and the next… and the next, until finally, the festivities had to come to a close, as poor Neji collapsed in the street due to over consumption of ramen… it was a rather disgusting sight really, his belly bulging with the yet-to-be-digested noodles. In the end, it took Hinata and Kiba together to lift the unconscious Hyuuga and carry him home, so the rest of the group disbanded and went each to their own homes.

- - - - - - -

Naruto himself reached his old apartment building in fine spirits. This had been the best night of his life. His belly was full, he had been surrounded by his friends for an entire evening, and he was about to enter his own home for the first time in three years. Nothing could ruin this moment. Nothing, except…

"Who's there?" came a man's voice from within the apartment. "Go away, or I'll clock you one!"

"What the hell are you doing in my house?" yelled Naruto. "Don't you have any respect for other people's property?"

"Your house?" The voice screamed. "This is my house! I've been living here for three years!" Naruto was shocked. He had asked that his home not be sold, or even put on the market, but then, who would pass up a chance to get him out of their hair?

"You said that you bought this place three years ago?"

"YES!" Screamed the voice. Naruto looked at the ground. That was it. He had no home and nowhere to go.

"Sorry to have bothered you at this hour." He muttered as he turned and walked back down the street, shoulders slumped in defeat. 'Of course he sold my house. Why on earth wouldn't he? The Sandaime's command didn't keep people from calling me as a monster, why would the Godaime's command keep my landlord from turfing me out on my ass?' He wandered through the streets until he found a small alley in which to curl up for the night.

- - - - - - -

The next day, he officially rejoined Team Seven, and there was a semblance of a group work ethic between Naruto and his sensei for the first time in three years. When Naruto arrived at the bridge where they had always waited for Kakashi, he found that Sakura was there waiting for him, early as usual. Everything seemed to be just like it used to be, the scenery hadn't changed one bit, the bridge was just as red as it had always been, and of course, water flowed steadily beneath the steady wooden planks.

"Naruto!" Sakura yelled as he approached the bridge. "You look awful, did you sleep at all last night, or did Lee take you clubbing like he said he would?" She looked dubious as she mentioned the taijutsu master's idea.

"No, I wasn't clubbing." Naruto replied, he had managed to reign in his temper long enough for those words, but he completely lost it on the next set. "That stupid landlord sold my house, so I had to sleep in an alley!" Sakura was stunned. His landlord sold his house, despite Tsunade's order not to? Was the man insane? No one but no one questioned an order given by the female Sannin, lest he find his head imbedded in concrete.

"He sold your house? Why on earth would he do that? I thought Tsunade-shishou gave specific orders not to sell it! What was he thinking?" Naruto looked down at the bridge's surface, and shrugged his shoulders.

"When I went back to talk to him today, he said he'd sold it before I even left… He really wanted me out of there. So now, I have to find a new place to live… heh, as if anyone would give me somewhere to live, everyone in this village hates my guts." Sakura was shocked. Naruto, the unbreakable Naruto was giving up? Impossible. Naruto's spirit was one of those constants in life that you just can't bear to be without. Seeing him so down was breaking her heart.

"Cheer up Naruto, I'm sure you'll find somewhere to live… eventually." Naruto gave her one of his massive fox-grins.

"Thanks Sakura-chan, I'm sure you're right! I'll never give up! That's my way of the ninja!" Really though, he was close to tears. 'What am I gonna do? I'll never find another place to live! I don't have enough money for one thing!'

"Until you find somewhere to live Naruto, I –guess- you can bunk at my house. But get this right away. This is a short-term thing! And don't even –ponder- the idea that we're going out!" Throughout her words, Naruto's face had lit up like a Christmas tree light. He let out a grand whoop and leapt into the air.

"Thank you Sakura-chan! Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou!" I can never repay you for this! You're the best friend ever!" He ran over and glomped her around the waist. Sakura's face turned beet red at his actions and she started stuttering like Hinata on drugs.

"N-n-Naruto! Cut it out!" Thwack. Naruto set a new world record for the longest free flight ever by a human being. He sailed four blocks before crashing into a wall and leaving a fair-sized dent.

"Owww… Sakura-chan… why are you so abusive?" Naruto asked as he rubbed his head.

"Huh. That'll teach you to attack me." '_CHA! Who does he think he is? My boyfriend? Uh-uh, that position is reserved for Sasuke-kun and Sasuke-kun alone. They'll see, we'll bring him back, and he'll realize what he's been missing for all these years… ME.'_ Inner Sakura backed up her words with another impressive 'CHA' before she was awoken from her daydream by a hand in front of her face.

"Sakura-chan, earth to Sakura-chan… Hel-" Thwack. Really, what is it with Naruto and violent women?

- - - - - - -

A/N: There. Chapter two. Maybe this won't be so hard after all…. T.T


End file.
